The present invention relates to apparatus for processing rod-like materials, for example, metallic or plastic wire, concrete reinforcing rods and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus for straightening and subdividing rod-like materials, especially metallic wire or rods.
Apparatus of the just outlined character are necessary when rod-like material which is to be converted into straight or at least substantially straight sections of predetermined length is stored in the form of coils in barrels, on reels or the like. In accordance with the presently prevailing technique, each such apparatus comprises a straightening device which is followed by a severing device. Each of these devices is designed to treat a particular type of material, e.g., convoluted wire having a predetermined diameter. Consequently, each change of setup so that the apparatus is capable of treating a different wire (e.g., a wire having a larger or smaller diameter) is time-consuming and complex because it is necessary to modify the straightening device as well as the severing device or, at the very least, the straightening device. Long-lasting changes in setup reduce the output of the apparatus and require the presence of skilled attendants. Furthermore, the versatility of such apparatus is rather low because a specific straightening device can only be modified within a certain narrow range in order to process wires or rods having different diameters.